"purposes. Egyptian texts often refer to deities' true, underlying forms as ""mysterious"". The Egyptians' visual representations of their gods are therefore not literal. They symbolize specific aspects of each deity's character, functioning much like the ideograms in hieroglyphic writing. For this reason, the funerary god Anubis is commonly shown in Egyptian art as a dog or jackal, a creature whose scavenging habits threaten the preservation of buried mummies, in an effort to counter this threat and employ it for protection. His black coloring alludes to the color of mummified flesh and to the fertile black soil that Egyptians saw as"
"Anubis Anubis (; , Egyptian: ""jnpw"", Coptic: ""Anoup"") is the Greek name of a god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head. Archeologists have identified Anubis's sacred animal as an Egyptian canid, the African golden wolf. Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumed different roles in various contexts. Depicted as a protector of graves as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3100 – c. 2890 BC), Anubis was also an embalmer. By the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055 – 1650 BC) he was replaced by Osiris"
"Ammit Ammit (; , ""devourer of the dead""; also rendered Ammut or Ahemait) was a demoness and goddess in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest ""man-eating"" animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included ""Devourer of the Dead"", ""Eater of Hearts"", and ""Great of Death"". Ammit lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis weighed the heart of a person against the feather of Ma'at, the goddess of truth, which was depicted as an ostrich feather (the feather"
"instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at. Ammit Ammit (; , ""devourer of the dead""; also rendered Ammut or Ahemait) was a demoness and goddess in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest ""man-eating"" animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included ""Devourer of the Dead"", ""Eater of Hearts"", and ""Great of Death"". Ammit lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis"
"evidence that the worship of this god was continued in Rome through at least the 2nd century. Indeed, Hermanubis also appears in the alchemical and hermetical literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Although the Greeks and Romans typically scorned Egyptian animal-headed gods as bizarre and primitive (Anubis was mockingly called ""Barker"" by the Greeks), Anubis was sometimes associated with Sirius in the heavens and Cerberus and Hades in the underworld. In his dialogues, Plato often has Socrates utter oaths ""by the dog"" (""kai me ton kuna""), ""by the dog of Egypt"", and ""by the dog, the god of"
"discoloration of the corpse after embalming. Anubis is associated with Wepwawet (also called Upuaut), another Egyptian god portrayed with a dog's head or in canine form, but with grey or white fur. Historians assume that the two figures were eventually combined. Anubis' female counterpart is Anput. His daughter is the serpent goddess Kebechet. Anubis' name ""jnpw"" was possibly pronounced [a.ˈna.pʰa], based on Coptic ""Anoup"" and the Akkadian transcription in the name <ri-a-na-pa> ""Reanapa"" that appears in Amarna letter EA 315. However, this transcription may also be interpreted as ""rˁ-nfr"", a name similar to that of Prince Ranefer of the Fourth"
"this, and the similarity of the jackal to the wolf, Wepwawet became associated with Anubis, a deity that was worshiped in Asyut, eventually being considered his son. Seen as a jackal, he also was said to be Set's son. Consequently, Wepwawet often is confused with Anubis. This deity appears in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos. In later Egyptian art, Wepwawet was depicted as a wolf or a jackal, or as a man with the head of a wolf or a jackal. Even when considered a jackal, Wepwawet usually was shown with grey, or white fur, reflecting his lupine"
"this story as an ""attempt to incorporate the independent deity Anubis into the Osirian pantheon."" An Egyptian papyrus from the Roman period (30–380 AD) simply called Anubis the ""son of Isis."" In the Ptolemaic period (350–30 BC), when Egypt became a Hellenistic kingdom ruled by Greek pharaohs, Anubis was merged with the Greek god Hermes, becoming Hermanubis. The two gods were considered similar because they both guided souls to the afterlife. The center of this cult was in ""uten-ha""/""Sa-ka""/ Cynopolis, a place whose Greek name means ""city of dogs."" In Book XI of ""The Golden Ass"" by Apuleius, there is"
"that beliefs regarding animal identity and transformation into animals are widespread. The iconography of the Vinca culture of Neolithic Europe in particular is noted for its frequent depiction of an owl-beaked ""bird goddess"". Examples of humans with animal heads (theriocephaly) in the ancient Egyptian pantheon include jackal-headed Anubis, cobra-headed Amunet, lion-headed Sekhmet, falcon-headed Horus, etc. Most of these deities also have a purely zoomorphic and a purely anthropomorphic aspect, with the hybrid representation seeking to capture aspects of both of which at once. Similarly, the Gaulish ""Artio"" sculpture found in Berne shows a juxtaposition of a bear and a woman"
"its coat, which, at a distance, is a shade of green-grey. Its alternative name comes from the Egyptian god Anubis, who was often represented by a dog head resembling the dog-like muzzle of the baboon. At closer range, its coat is multicoloured, due to rings of yellow-brown and black on the hairs. The hair on the baboon's face is coarser and ranges from dark grey to black. This coloration is shared by both sexes, although males have a mane of longer hair that tapers down to ordinary length along the back. Besides the mane, the male olive baboon differs from"
"Aani In Ancient Egyptian religion, Aani is the dog-headed ape sacred to the Egyptian god Thoth. ""One of the Egyptian names of the Cynocephalus Baboon, which was sacred to the god Thoth."" The Egyptian hieroglyphic word for ""baboon"" is ""jꜥnꜥ"" in the German style of transliteration. Attested roughly forty times in extant literature, this word refers to the animal itself. Many Egyptian gods can manifest in a baboon aspect or have other associations with the animal, including Animal iconography does not imply the Egyptians identified the animals concerned as deities themselves. Rather, the animal was an icon, or a large"
"being in use the Anubieion catacombs at Saqqara saw the burial of dogs. Dogs were closely associated with Hecate in the Classical world. Dogs were sacred to Artemis and Ares. Cerberus was the three-faced guard dog of the Underworld. Laelaps was a dog in Greek mythology. When Zeus was a baby, a dog, known only as the “golden hound” was charged with protecting the future King of Gods. The dogs are worshipped as a part of a five-day Tihar festival that falls roughly in November every year. The dog (""Shvan"") is also the vahana or mount of the Hindu god"
"Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; ""Kerberos"" ), often called the ""hound of Hades"", is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and usually is described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours. Descriptions of Cerberus vary, including the number of his heads. Cerberus was usually three-headed, though not always. Cerberus had several multi-headed relatives. His father"
"his duty was to bring these souls to the underworld and no one would persuade him to do otherwise. Cerberus (Kerberos), or the ""Hell-Hound"", is Hades' massive multi-headed (usually three-headed) dog with some descriptions stating that it also has a snake-headed tail and snake heads on its back and as its mane. Born from Echidna and Typhon, Cerberus guards the gate that serves as the entrance of the underworld. Cerberus' duty is to prevent dead people from leaving the underworld. Heracles once borrowed Cerberus as the final part of the Labours of Heracles. Orpheus once soothed it to sleep with"
"gave the name ""Cerberus"" to a genus of Asian snakes, which are commonly called ""dog-faced water snakes"" in English. Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; ""Kerberos"" ), often called the ""hound of Hades"", is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and usually is described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours. Descriptions of Cerberus vary, including"
"In Greco-Roman Egypt, the male Sopdet was conflated with the dog-headed Anubis. Sopdet Sopdet is the ancient Egyptian name of the star Sirius and its personification as an Egyptian goddess. Known to the Greeks as Sothis, she was conflated with Isis as a goddess and Anubis as a god. The exact pronunciation of ancient Egyptian is uncertain, as vowels were not recorded until a very late period. In modern transcription, her name usually appears as Sopdet (, .""Triangle"" or ""Sharp One"") after the known Greek and Latin form Sothis (, ""Sō̂this""). During the early period of Egyptian civilization, the heliacal"
"called ""ash-Shira al-Ghamisa"", the Sirius with bleary eyes. Among the Merazig of Tunisia, shepherds note six constellations that mark the passage of the dry, hot season. One of them, called ""Merzem"", includes the stars of Canis Minor and Canis Major and is the herald of two weeks of hot weather. The ancient Egyptians thought of this constellation as Anubis, the jackal god. Alternative names have been proposed: Johann Bayer in the early 17th century termed the constellation ""Fovea"" ""The Pit"", and ""Morus"" ""Sycamine Tree"". Seventeenth-century German poet and author Philippus Caesius linked it to the dog of Tobias from the"
"the plan of the ruins remarkably warrants the accuracy of this historical eye-witness. Bubastis was a center of worship for the feline goddess Bastet, sometimes called ""Bubastis"" after the city, who the Greeks identified with Artemis. The cat was the sacred and peculiar animal of Bast, who is represented with the head of a cat or a lioness and frequently accompanies the deity Ptah in monumental inscriptions. The tombs at Bubastis were accordingly the principal depository in Egypt of the mummies of the cat. The most distinguished features of the city and nome of Bubastis were its oracle of Bast,"
"hieroglyph, representing a god. Aani In Ancient Egyptian religion, Aani is the dog-headed ape sacred to the Egyptian god Thoth. ""One of the Egyptian names of the Cynocephalus Baboon, which was sacred to the god Thoth."" The Egyptian hieroglyphic word for ""baboon"" is ""jꜥnꜥ"" in the German style of transliteration. Attested roughly forty times in extant literature, this word refers to the animal itself. Many Egyptian gods can manifest in a baboon aspect or have other associations with the animal, including Animal iconography does not imply the Egyptians identified the animals concerned as deities themselves. Rather, the animal was an"
"bones together with bandages and placing them within a wooden statue of Anubis, the jackal-headed deity associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. The only source from which Abuwtiyuw is known is a stone inscription tablet that may have come from the funerary chapel of the dog's owner. The tablet was apparently among spolia used to build another grave in approximately 2280 BC, a sixth-Dynasty mastaba, after the chapel's demolition. It was discovered on 13 October 1935 by Egyptologist George A. Reisner during a joint Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts expedition, and removed from the site"
"Thoth Thoth (; from """", borrowed from , the reflex of ""[He] is like the Ibis"") is one of the ancient Egyptian deities. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat, and his wife was Ma'at. Thoth's chief temple was located in the city of , Egyptological pronunciation: ""Khemenu"", ""Shmun"", which was known as ""Hermoû pólis"" ""The City of Hermes"", or in Latin as ""Hermopolis Magna"", during the Hellenistic period through the interpretatio graeca that Thoth was Hermes. Later known ""el-Ashmunein"""
"Hesat Hesat is an ancient Egyptian goddess in the form of a cow. She was said to provide humanity with milk (called ""the beer of Hesat"") and in particular to suckle the pharaoh and several ancient Egyptian bull gods. In the ""Pyramid Texts"" she is said to be the mother of Anubis and of the deceased king. She was especially connected with Mnevis, the living bull god worshipped at Heliopolis, and the mothers of Mnevis bulls were buried in a cemetery dedicated to Hesat. In Ptolemaic times (304–30 BC) she was closely linked with the goddess Isis. In Egyptian mythology,"
"representative of animal cults and animal mummies. This image shows the god Pataikos wearing a scarab beetle on his head, supporting two human-headed birds on his shoulders, holding a snake in each hand, and standing atop crocodiles. According to Jeremiah, during this time many Jews came to Egypt, fleeing after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586 BC). Jeremiah and other Jewish refugees arrived in Lower Egypt, notably in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis. Some refugees also settled at Elephantine and other settlements in Upper Egypt. Jeremiah mentions pharaoh Apries as ""Hophra"", whose reign came to"
"dogs, mummified them and treated dogs generally as holy animals. The ancient Greeks also knew about a people, living far to the west, who are the ""dog-headed ones"", who worshipped dogs on an island. Some hypothesize that the Canary Islands dog-worship and the ancient Egyptian cult of the dog-headed god, Anubis are closely connected but there is no explanation given as to which one was first. Other theories speculate that the name comes from the Nukkari Berber tribe living in the Moroccan Atlas, named in Roman sources as ""Canarii"", though Pliny again mentions the relation of this term with dogs."
"Amphisbaena The amphisbaena (, plural: amphisbaenae; ) is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the ""Mother of Ants"". Its name comes from the Greek words ""amphis"", meaning ""both ways"", and ""bainein"", meaning ""to go"". According to Greek mythology, the amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from the Gorgon Medusa's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan Desert with her in his hand, after which Cato's army then encountered it"
"the hand of deceased persons to guide them to Osiris. The parentage of Anubis varied between myths, times and sources. In early mythology, he was portrayed as a son of Ra. In the Coffin Texts, which were written in the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BC), Anubis is the son of either the cow goddess Hesat or the cat-headed Bastet. Another tradition depicted him as the son of Ra and Nephthys. The Greek Plutarch (c. 40–120 AD) stated that Anubis was the illegitimate son of Nephthys and Osiris, but that he was adopted by Osiris's wife Isis: George Hart sees"
"and argue, and sing a song about their miserable plight. Amphisbaena The amphisbaena (, plural: amphisbaenae; ) is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the ""Mother of Ants"". Its name comes from the Greek words ""amphis"", meaning ""both ways"", and ""bainein"", meaning ""to go"". According to Greek mythology, the amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from the Gorgon Medusa's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan Desert with her"
"jackal laying down with a feather. Probably the most notable example is that of the triad of Menkaure, Hathor and Anput. She was occasionally depicted as a woman with the head of a jackal, but this is very rare. Anput is a female counterpart of the god Anubis. She is also a goddess of the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt. She is also considered the protector of Osiris' body. Anput Anput is a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. Her name is also rendered Anupet, Input, Inpewt and Yineput. Her name is written in hieroglyphs as ""inpwt"". Her name is the"
"of concern) must have been the digging up of bodies, shortly after burial, by jackals and other wild dogs which lived on the margins of the cultivation."" The oldest known textual mention of Anubis is in the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686 – c. 2181 BC), where he is associated with the burial of the pharaoh. In the Old Kingdom, Anubis was the most important god of the dead. He was replaced in that role by Osiris during the Middle Kingdom (2000–1700 BC). In the Roman era, which started in 30 BC, tomb paintings depict him holding"
"Babylonian national god Marduk, the scribal god Nabu, and the Assyrian national god Ashur. In Egyptian history, the snake occupies a primary role with the Nile cobra adorning the crown of the pharaoh in ancient times. It was worshipped as one of the gods and was also used for sinister purposes: murder of an adversary and ritual suicide (Cleopatra). The ouroboros was a well-known ancient Egyptian symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail. The precursor to the ouroboros was the ""Many-Faced"", a serpent with five heads, who, according to the Amduat, the oldest surviving Book of the Afterlife, was"
"rare depiction of him in fully human form was found in the tomb of Ramesses II in Abydos. Anubis is often depicted wearing a ribbon and holding a ""nḫ3ḫ3"" ""flail"" in the crook of his arm. Another of Anubis's attributes was the ""jmy-wt"" or imiut fetish, named for his role in embalming. In funerary contexts, Anubis is shown either attending to a deceased person's mummy or sitting atop a tomb protecting it. New Kingdom tomb-seals also depict Anubis sitting atop the nine bows that symbolize his domination over the enemies of Egypt. Although he does not appear in many myths,"
"an evolution-minded point of view. The beings show up in both Greek and Roman mythology, with various elements of ancient Egyptian society ebbing and flowing into those cultures in particular. Prominent examples in ancient Egyptian religion, featuring some of the earliest such hybrid beings, include the canine-like god of death known as Anubis and the lion-like Sphinx. Other instances of these types of characters include figures within both Chinese and Japanese mythology. The observation of interspecies friendships within the animal kingdom, as well as the bonds existing between humans and their pets, have been a source of the appeal in"
"Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge, and also the baboons which chatter when the sun rises raising their hands as if in worship. The jackal (or possibly dog) is linked to Anubis and the act of embalming and also Wepwawet the ""opener of the ways"" who seeks out the paths of the dead. The hawk is associated with Horus himself and also Seker the mummified necropolis god. Imseti, the human, may be linked to Osiris himself or Onuris the hunter. The Egyptians themselves linked them with the ancient kings of Lower and Upper Egypt, the Souls of Pe and"